Today (Friday July 27), Fred and Virginia, which is on Regent Street opened its doors to customers for the first time.

Vegan deli Fred and Virginia has now officially opened in Leamington.

A small queue of people gathered for the official opening at 11am and people were keen to get in the shop. The team at the deli said they have had people popping into the shop all week while they have been setting up.

The deli offers a range of products for people who are vegan or vegetarian as well as for people who have food intolerances and allergies.

The plant-based delicatessen , is the brainchild of mother and daughter, entrepreneurs Jacquie Monteith and Lauren Castle, who decided to launch their own venture having been frustrated in their efforts to source suitable produce in the mainstream food market.

They said: “We have taste tested everything in the deli and we believe that people should have to compromise on taste or quality because some vegan or vegetarian food is full of other things such as salt, sugar and soya and we don’t want that so we searched for our suppliers.

“We decided to set up in Leamington because it is just a brilliant place and there us a bit of a ‘boho’ feel here and it is a very supportive town.

“So many people are excited about our venture and we wanted to be part of a community.

“The packaging on our products is environmentally friendly and is compostable or recyclable.”

Products available include: cheese, sauces, drinks, frozen meals, cakes, pasta and tea and coffee to name a few.

The deli will also provide breakfast and lunch options. They will also be looking into providing more options for children

The team at the deli are also looking for any input from their customers.

Fred and Virginia will be open Monday to Saturday from 8am to 6pm and on Sundays from 10am to 4pm.